Editing Sierra Vista, Arizona (section)

==Healthcare==
Canyon Vista Medical Center (CVMC) and the Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center (located on nearby [[Fort Huachuca]]) serve the community's health care needs. Medical personnel of all major specialties are available in the area. Canyon Vista Medical Center was recently completed adjoining an existing Ambulatory Surgery and Imaging Center on [[Arizona State Route 90|SR 90]]. A management agreement for long term operations of the hospital was signed with RegionalCare Hospital Partners. The [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|US Department of Veterans Affairs]] opened a clinic in Sierra Vista to better serve the area's large retired military population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tucson.va.gov/CBOCs/SierraVista.asp |title=Sierra Vista Community Based Outpatient Clinic |access-date=September 28, 2010 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409093515/http://www.tucson.va.gov/CBOCs/SierraVista.asp |archive-date=April 9, 2010 }}; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; April 6, 2010</ref>

===Regional health concerns===
Residents and health professionals became concerned after observing an elevated number of [[leukemia]] and related childhood cancer cases being reported in Sierra Vista since 1995. In 2001, with seven reported cases since 1995, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) determined the number of cases was [[Cancer cluster|statistically elevated]] over the expected norm. In response, the ADHS launched an environmental review of air, drinking water and soil in the Sierra Vista area to determine if environmental exposure had placed residents at greater risk of childhood leukemia or other cancers. By October 2002, the ADHS in conjunction with the Arizona Cancer Registry, determined that, "No common environmental exposure from drinking water, ambient air or waste sites were identified that might have placed residents of the Sierra Vista area at greater risk of developing leukemia." No further action was recommended at that time.<ref>[http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oeh/pdf/sierra_vista_sept12.pdf 2002 Environmental Study by ADHS]</ref>

In 2003, three more cases of leukemia were reported. The [[Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC) was hesitant to investigate in depth, initially leaving the matter to state health departments, but became involved after the ADHS requested their assistance in the spring of 2003. The CDC concluded two formal studies, in 2004 and 2006, with mixed results. They did not discover any environmental causes for the increased incidence of leukemia, but they did note that they only tested four children with leukemia. They cautioned that with such a small number of study participants, "any attempt to measure associations between environmental exposure and disease would be inherently suspect and not statistically appropriate." Biological samples were tested for 128 chemicals, with results showing average or below average levels for all chemicals except [[tungsten]], [[styrene]] and [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCB]]-52, which were above average.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/clusters/sierravista/SierraVistaReportOnly.pdf CDC Biosampling Final Report – 2006]</ref><ref>[http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:82339 For the Kids – Parents, scientists investigate cancer cluster]</ref><ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/clusters/sierravista/default.htm CDC Main catalog of Sierra Vista studies]</ref>

There were no more reported cases in the several years following the CDC reports, bringing the occurrence statistics back in line with national averages. However, with a total of thirteen children diagnosed and another five potentially linked cases being investigated since 1995, some people still have concerns.<ref>[http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=oid:53523 Cancer Wars – Leukemia cases in Sierra Vista]</ref><ref>[https://archive.today/20090217125036/http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/02/13/news/doc499525a7784cb596310331.txt Possible tungsten-leukemia link]</ref><ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/clusters/sierravista/ CDC Cluster studies]</ref><ref>[http://cochise.az.gov/cochise_health.aspx?id=1708 Cochise County Health Department] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527172819/http://cochise.az.gov/cochise_health.aspx?id=1708 |date=May 27, 2010 }} Review of cluster studies; Updated January 2010</ref>